The present invention relates to a grapnel hook apparatus which can be remotely controlled to repeatedly pick up and drop various payloads.
Helicopters are often utilized for picking up cargo from a surface location while the helicopter is in flight. This is accomplished by a tethered cargo hook which may be hooked into a loop which is provided on the payload. These hooks have been utilized for picking up a load and either hauling the load into the helicopter or dragging it through the air to drop at another location. These hooks have resulted in considerable hazard to ground support personnel who manually make connection between the hook and the cargo packages. Further, these hooks result in a tedious job for helicopter personnel who must haul the hook into the helicopter each time it is to be reset. The prior art system is especially unpracticable for picking up cargo packages from the surface of the ocean. There is an urgent need for a hook apparatus which can be remotely controlled by helicopter personnel to pickup and deliver cargo packages on a repeated basis without the necessity of manually recocking the hooking device.